Avonmore Primary School Development Clears Final Hurdle

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Approval from Department for Education allows demolition to proceed

Visualisation of the proposed scheme from the planning application

April 1, 2026

The demolition of Avonmore Primary School and its replacement with a new state-of-the-art educational facility and flats is to proceed after receiving Government approval.

The redevelopment of the buildings which date back to the 1950s on Avonmore Road was green-lit by Hammersmith and Fulham Council in November 2024.

Due to it involving the construction of the flats on school land the scheme also needed sign-off from the Department for Education (DfE) before works could start.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) chased the DfE on several occasions last year enquiring about the council’s application.

The DfE confirmed the proposal was being progressed though did not provide any further information.

Following a Freedom of Information (FoI) request submitted with the DfE the LDRS has since learned a decision letter granting approval was issued in December.

A council webpage has also been updated indicating demolition works may begin this summer.

A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesperson said they are “excited” to start rebuilding Avonmore, which will deliver “state-of-the-art learning spaces that both pupils and teachers deserve”.

The redevelopment is to see a new primary school, including a nursery and playground, built to replace the existing Avonmore facilities.

The scheme is also to see 91 flats constructed on-site, around half of which will be classed as affordable.

Cabinet members agreed in 2019 that Avonmore would be the first project in its Community Schools Programme, an initiative seeking to use funds from new housing built on school sites to help revitalise some of the borough’s primaries.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council is the developer of the project and the freeholder of the entire site.

The application went to the local authority’s Planning and Development Control Committee in late 2024 having received 76 objections.

Historic England, while not objecting, did raise concerns about the proposed loss of a 19th century building, Gordon Cottage.

At the meeting David Tarsh, representing the Avonmore Residents’ Association, claimed the council had not conformed with its own consultation guidelines, with no residents’ panel or proper resident involvement.

Richard Farthing, former Chair of the Hammersmith Society, meanwhile queried the decision to include private homes on school land.

Describing the proposal as “not a great project”, he said: “You’re taking away public land for what appears to be at least 50 per cent private gain, and the school isn’t actually that bad overall.”

The submission was approved by committee members, with just one, Conservative councillor Adrian Pascu-Tulbure, voting against.

The proposed new Avonmore Primary School would be three storeys tall, with a six-storey housing block either side

Since that decision Avonmore staff and pupils have relocated to the former Queensmill School on Mund Street to allow for work on the scheme to start.

On-site progress has however yet to begin due to the wait for the Government sign-off.

The council has now published a timeline for the project online following the DfE’s approval, with demolition works expected to start this summer.

The timeline indicates the contractor is to take over the site this April, with demolition to begin in July/August.

The main school building is then hoped to be completed by summer 2028, when pupils and staff can move back in, with the homes to be ready by the winter.

A spokesperson for Hammersmith and Fulham Council said, “We are excited to start rebuilding Avonmore Primary School to create the new, state-of-the-art learning spaces that both pupils and teachers deserve, especially with new facilities for pupils with special educational needs.

“We have a strong record of educational success in Hammersmith and Fulham with some of the highest performing schools in the country. And we’re building a record amount of affordable homes locally.”

Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter